Analysis ranks Alabama number one for gun industry

By Christen Smith

(Source: Zippia)
An analysis of all 50 states ranked Alabama the best place in America for the gun industry.
Zippia compared a state’s existing laws, available jobs and overall gun culture to determine its list. Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Alaska, Missouri and Louisiana rounded out the top 10.
The analysis’s 10 worst states in America for the gun industry included Delaware, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Maine, North Dakota, Wisconsin, New York, Washington, Vermont, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
“A general rule of thumb emerged from the data — head south if you are looking to get one of as many as 141,500 jobs generated by companies that make, distribute, and sell guns,” said Chris Kolmar, contributor at Zippia. “Not to mention the the 159,623 jobs in ancillary industries.”
Alabama’s gun industry directly employs more than 3,200 residents, according to the most recent data compiled by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and contributes a federal excise tax for wildlife conservation of more than $17.4 million each year. While its easily eclipsed in both categories by larger states, Zippia argues Alabama’s lax gun laws and supportive culture makes it — and many of the other high-ranking southern states on the list — the friendliest place for gun makers to